Alan Sewell visits Holyhead...
Last weekend I shared some ideas to overlay on the '10 minute shelf' concept, one of which was inspired by the 'end' of the Holyhead breakwater with the Class 01 shunters...
Alan kindly got in touch to share another of his contemporaneous accounts - from 1964 - when he visited the quarry that served the breakwater with large boulders...
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| William Wild and Sons, July 1964. Alan Sewell photo. |
William Wild & Sons Ltd
Quarry & Brickworks
Holyhead Mountain
Holyhead Anglesey
Gauge: Standard
Date of Visit: July 1964
The quarry provides stone for maintenance of the large breakwater protecting Holyhead Harbour. The quarry is linked to the harbour by a lengthy tramway and at the seaward end was a locked loco shed and some wagons used by BR to work on the breakwater.
Wild erected a brickworks in the quarry and produce bricks and other items. Their railway was originally 7’-0” gauge although this was replaced in sections between 1910 and 1934 and replaced by the current operation.
When seen the plant looked disused, although some material and some side tipping (Ship-canal style) wagons were present. However shortly a steam loco appeared and did some light shunting and but disappeared again before it could be approached more closely. This was unnumbered 0-4-0ST Peckett Wks. No 1873 of 1934. The loco was painted unlined black and with dumb buffers for working the old style rolling stock. It appeared in good condition and certainly better that the buildings etc.
To the north of the brickworks was a black corrugated iron building which appeared to be the loco shed. A narrow gauge line on a gantry linked the quarry to the works. All seemed of another age.
Thanks to Alan for once again sharing an insight to the past from his own personal archives. If you'd like to dig into more of these then you're able to look at them all using the Alan Sewell label. Until next time, more soon...
Hi James
ReplyDeleteGlad you found what was my very first working industrial railway photograph of interest. I think I went back and wrote up some notes after my next visit visits later in 1964 to what were then my local gravel pits -so they are not up to what I did in later years.
As I remember it I was walking with my parents down a path on Holyhead Mountain when we just came across the quarry which looked, as I said pretty derelict, until the loco appeared. By the time we got to the bottom of the path it had gone. My parents tolerated the latent interest but as rain threatened did not want to wait. So another missed opportunity seen from a perspective of sixty years but am surprised the slide is still in good condition after all this time
Best wishes
Alan
Thank you for sharing the photo and report, but too, the commentary with more heart and story.
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